A train of thoughts and writings on development, technology and the economy focusing on the socio-techno-economic-cultural surge of developing economies to regain and partake in leadership of the world. Written by George Easaw. (This is purely an academic site, no commercial use is allowed. Photography rights lie with the respective organisations). Mention credits as needed.

Monday, July 21, 2008

600,000 MW and the vote of confidence in Indian Parliament ...

Growing at a very modest 8 % for the next 16 years, India will need 600,000 MW of energy ( 200,000 MW for the first eight years, upto 2016 AD and then 400,000 MW upto 2024 AD.

Which source of power can give us such quantities ??

Consider India having to depend on coal for generating such massive quantities of energy, the greenhouse gas emissions will be so much that the planet is sure to go into an ice age. Given the global instability arising out of rising fuel and food prices staring at our face, it is all the more important that a country of such potential for growth need to take the lead to conserve the environment. It is also in the better interests of the world, that the NSG ( Nuclear Suppliers Group) agree to the safeguards agreement India is tabling at the IAEA on it's civilian and military nuclear facilities.

Indians at 1.2 Tonnes of CO2 per head ( 1000 million x 1.2 T = 1.2 billio T of Co2) pollute the world only a quarter of what US at 20 T of CO2 /head ( 300 million x 20 T= 6000 m T or 6 Billion Tonnes, do. By then the Chinese and the developed world would have polluted it so much that the earth would have become inhospitable. We need to check this .. Recently in the Toyako G8 summit, finally the US ssems to have understood the fallacy of their stand as regards global warming and green house gas emisions and will co-operate with the other nations of the world.

Regarding the Indo-US nuclear deal, after all this hullabulla over neglecting Indian interests and so on ( I was against this deal initially), top nuclear scientists of the country have given the go ahead to this deal, including the most respected former Presient, Bharat Ratna Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. All Indian interests have been taken care of in the deal, including India's sovereignty to hold independent tests, if need be, The Hindu newspaper which initially was against the deal given it's pro-left leanings. Of late it has started talking facts about the deal which are weighed totally in India's favour.

The vote of confidence to be tabled tomorrow, 22 July in the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament, after two days of heated exchanges and discussions, is a referendum on the country's develoment and growth. On one side are the people trying to scuttle growth and development led by the Left parties (owing allegiance to the now defunct and humiliated Communists of capitalist Russia and China) and the communal Hindu nationalist party BJP, who like a snake in the grass are going all out against the deal which it favoured initially.

On the other side we have an economist of international recognition, the PM of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, trying to pull off this monumental deal with US. For he is more than convinced that it will release India from international isolation for not signing the non-proliferation treaty ( even though even after signing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty China has demonstrated doubtful credibility) and help it gain access to high-speed computers and technology which will help it in health care, education, defence and meteorology.

Are our opposition politicians doing the right thing trying to scuttle this deal over petty political issues of protocol or consensus ? Considerations of money for the greedy is another factor which also needs to be discounted.

The Left parties are in deep shit given that they are between the devil and the deep sea. On the one hand they have been bargaining hard with the govt to stop this deal issuing threats of withdrawal of support and so on. Now that the govt has indeed gone ahead they cannot offer support at this point and lose face. On the other hand, by not supporting the government they will be aligning with the communal BJP leading to the downfall of a secular govt and allowing the communals to come back to power, the last thing the communists ever want.

The best they can do is to not take part in the voting of confidence and allow the govt to sail through. They can still cry and shout from the sides against the govt ( though nobody will care..) and claim credit for helping the govt. Everybody would have by then known their predicament.

Now as the picture is getting clear with each passing day of the confidence the present govt enjoys and it's clarity on issues of energy and sustaining India's growth over the years ahead, have the Left hit the nails on their coffin itself ?? The coming days will tell.

1 comment:

Belying all expectations, Prakash Karat has demonstrated to the whole world what an idiot he is ??

All political parties have to go throughbad and good times, but never in Indian has had such lousy people at the top ... Incompetent to the core !!

Here is what Finance Minister P Chidambaram had to say during his speech in the Parliament , "Some people do not want us to catch up with China.."http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/22upavote7.htm

and reaffirmed again by Foreign Minsiter Pranab Mukherjee, "Left has no opposition to China having a similar agreement with the US but not India.."

It reaffirms the popular perception that the Left is a bunch of fools who got intoxicated with so much attention and who were calling the cards most of the time, suddenly felt themselves groping in the dark, the whole world is feeling sorry for them now ..